Simon Sinek, popular leadership author and TED fame, shared in his best-selling book that it all starts with the why. People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe.
“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.” — Luke 4:1-2
After being baptized by John the Baptist, Jesus fasted for forty days and nights in the desert. During this time, Satan appeared to Jesus and tried tempting him in the following ways;
- with forbidden food
- encouraging him to worship a false god
- and testing god
These temptations aimed to mislead and pervert three main human characteristics; to think, wish and feel which are inside mind, soul and heart. Jesus refused each temptation despite being hungry, tired,and lonely. The Devil then departed and Jesus began his ministry.
The key to Jesus withstanding Satan was he didn’t lose his focus of the mission. More importantly, Jesus fully understood the why of his mission. Jesus was sent to glorify the Father by loving us and saving us.
What Jesus modeled in the desert is for me today. This “why” is at the core to pressing on spiritually when things don’t make sense. It propels me to fight through a loss of focus to accomplish my charge. And I’m convinced that I can survive any what if I have a good enough why.
Are you experiencing mission drift at work? In your personal life? Have you lost your way? Are shiny objections and squirrels distracting you today? So often it’s as Simon said that our focus has shifted off of our why and unto our how or what. We fail to keep our why clear year after year.
Gain clarity by going back to a solidarity focus like Jesus did to reconnect with the why of your mission.
Reflection |
What is your why?
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Do you need a sounding board to refocus? Contact Michael about gaining clarity of purpose and productivity.